Month: July 2019

By Simon Alvarez Posted on July 31, 2019 As Gigafactory 3 nears completion, Tesla is running full speed in its efforts to promote the company and its electric cars to the greater Chinese area. Among the most recent ones is a special partnership with Star Alliance, one of the region’s largest and most prominent airlines

The new S7 makes 444 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque from a new 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine. A 48-volt electric compressor works to prevent turbo lag. Power is routed to all four wheels via a standard eight-speed automatic. Audi estimates a 0–60 time of 4.5 seconds, 0.1 second behind its estimate for the S6.

TOKYO — Panasonic Corp. reported its fiscal first-quarter operating profit nearly halved, as trade tensions dampened demand for its components business in China and the battery business with Tesla Inc. remained in the red. The China-U.S. trade dispute is making it more difficult for Panasonic to execute its strategy of shifting focus to corporate clients and automakers from

We’ve loved the GT350 from the giddyup, and a GT350R did well in our 2016 contest. But for 2020 Ford added some updates, including stickier tires, stiffer springs, and smarter brakes. Unchanged are the flat-plane-crank V-8 and six-speed manual, making it the only stick-shift car in the bunch. How will that affect its ranking? Follow along

DETROIT — UAW Local 909 leaders and workers told reporters Tuesday that General Motors’ Warren, Mich., transmission plant will close in three days, leaving about 100 workers without jobs. GM said all displaced workers at the plant will have opportunities to transfer to other GM operations. The company’s plant closings could be a major issue

On this episode of HOT ROD Unlimited, The HOT ROD staff shows how you can trick your friends into a party so you can paint your hot rod in a weekend. Associate Editor Jesse Kiser and HOT ROD Magazine Live host Dennis Pittsenbarger shows how the staff painted their hideous 1967 Chevrolet Impala in a

In today’s hypercar-infested world it’s easy to overlook what Ford has accomplished with the current GT, but in case you did, Doug DeMuro is here to remind you why you shouldn’t. It’s not easy to create a genuine supercar that can take the fight against the established players of this crazy segment, but the Ford

ZURICH — Swiss prosecutors said on Tuesday they are assisting Japanese authorities in their investigation into former Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi boss Carlos Ghosn, who faces charges of fraud and misconduct. Ghosn, who has denied wrongdoing and is free on bail as he awaits trial, is pursuing claims against Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors. Both automakers ousted him from

Like your favorite tube of toothpaste, this Alpina B7 is minty fresh. Motor1 first reported on photos Alpina posted to its official Facebook page last week that show its latest one-off creation hitting the streets in the U.S. It’s a standard B7 sedan, based on the BMW 7-Series, but as you can see, the color

Like many young and successful people, German fashion designer Philipp Plein likes to showcase his lavish lifestyle on Instagram. As a result, his feed is full of beautiful woman, exotic locations and an impressive car collection that appears to include a Rolls-Royce Phantom, Lamborghini Urus and Ferrari 812 Superfast. Plein also uses his feed to

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Nissan Motor Co.’s U.S. sales meltdown has CEO Hiroto Saikawa looking for cuts in personnel and products around the world. Fixing Nissan’s problems in the U.S. remains paramount. Falling U.S. sales all but wiped out the automaker’s profits for the latest financial quarter. Saikawa said Nissan’s fiscal first-quarter earnings implosion was even

AnkerDirect via Amazon offers its ROAV HydroClean Electric Pressure Washer for $119.99 shipped when the on-page coupon is clipped and promo code ROAVPW88 is applied during checkout. Regularly $200, this model recently dropped to $150 with today’s deal representing a new all-time low. Anker has been expanding its home good offerings over the last year and that

But the U.S. also does not get the performance variants that Europeans will enjoy. So try not to lust for the lower roofline of a Q3 Sportback or pine for the performance of an RS or SQ3. The closest we get is the S Line with a $500 Sport interior package, which is cosmetic only.

Uber Technologies Inc. said it’s cutting a third of its marketing department globally, as the chief executive officer seeks to address concerns that the business is slowing down. The ride-hailing company will dismiss about 400 employees. Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO, told employees of the changes in an email Monday. “Today, there’s a general sense that

Most of the revenue comes from the U.S., but the growth of revenue outside the U.S. is quicker. During the first half of this year, Tesla increased its revenues by 47% year-over-year to roughly $10.9 billion and here we look at the progress in the biggest markets. The single biggest market is, of course, the

Sonic Automotive Inc. has named two new members to its board of directors, including the company president, as the nation’s fifth-largest dealership group increases its board size from eight directors to 10. Sonic President Jeff Dyke and Marcus Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc., were named to Sonic’s board last week. Their terms will expire

Spolier alert: this Roadkill Extra will give you a glimpse of the upcoming final installment of the retro makeover of the Crusher Camaro. At the same time, Freiburger will be installing some gauges in the car and giving you some tips you probably have never considered when buying aftermarket instruments. We’ve provided this free episode

Following hot on the heels of the Atlas, Volkswagen will launch the Atlas Cross Sport, a more stylish variant aimed at those who favor looks over practicality. Set to arrive at dealers early next year, it will be a while until you’ll be able to sit behind the wheel and test it out. However, as

Keeping soldiers safe continues to be the main reason the military enlists unmanned vehicles into its ranks, especially for resupply missions. The U.S. Army has been tinkering with ground robotics and automated technologies for decades, yet there are still no real systems in the military field that are fully autonomous. Nevertheless, the Army wants to

LOS ANGELES — Once upon a time, automotive marketing executives spent lots of money on advertising but had little idea whether they were converting those eyeballs into buyers. The salespeople were generating the revenue. But the Internet broke that, says Dean Evans, chief marketing officer for Hyundai Motor America. And now he’s the revenue chief.

The 2019 J.D. Power Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study has a top dog: Porsche. J.D. Power released the latest findings for its annual APEAL study last Friday and they showed that, overall, the industry has improved. Scores from all 10 categories improved with infotainment and visibility and safety the most improved. Overall, in-car

Running a red light is never a good idea. Actually, it’s an extremely dangerous traffic violation, and yet people do it frequently, most of the time fully aware of what they are doing. Whether they do it on purpose or are, perhaps, distracted makes no difference at all, as the consequences are the same and

By Simon Alvarez Posted on July 29, 2019 Last week, Ford made headlines when it released a video of its upcoming F-150 electric pickup truck pulling what could only be described as an unreal amount of weight. In the demonstration, the upcoming vehicle pulled ten double-decker rail cars, both empty and loaded with 42 gas-burning

Lithium miners are bulking up for a booming future when electric vehicles go mainstream. But speed bumps loom, with prices tumbling on a burst of new production and demand growth slowing in China. Between mid-2015 and mid-2018, prices for lithium, the soft, silvery-white metal crucial for rechargeable batteries, almost tripled as the world’s fleet of electric

Ever since the Hyundai Santa Cruz concept pickup debuted, we’ve wondered whether Kia will also enter the segment. With development of the Hyundai well underway, it was only a matter of time until the Korean automaker spilled the beans. Now, it finally has. Kia Australia’s Chief Operating Officer Damien Meredith has confirmed to CarsGuide that

The chief executive of Vauxhall-owner PSA says it could move all production from its Ellesmere Port factory if Brexit makes it unprofitable. Carlos Tavares told the Financial Times that the firm has alternatives to the plant which it could use. The move would probably lead to the closure of the site, the FT said, threatening

LEESBURG, Va. — After years of preaching patience while it transformed a sedan-heavy lineup, Cadillac now boasts fresh offerings for America’s crossover-crazed consumers. But Cadillac dealers, having endured three years of declining sales and the ousting of President Johan de Nysschen in 2018 just as his product blitz was beginning, may have still longer to

On this episode of The Downshift, we head to the 2012 Easter Jeep Safari to check out Jeep’s Mighty FC Concept. Watch this rock-ready concept conquer the Moab terrain alongside its military forebearer, a 1964 Jeep Forward Control. The Downshift appears every Tuesday on the new Motor Trend channel. http://www.youtube.com/motortrend Subscribe now to make sure

Not long ago, Detroit’s Big Three waved goodbye to the mid-size truck segment as they phased out models such as the Colorado, Canyon, Dakota and Ranger,opting to focus on larger and more profitable full-size trucks instead and effectively leaving the mid-size segment to the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma. As full-size trucks grew larger and